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A 100m “bending” bridge has opened in China. Some people on Chinese social media have said it was “too crazy to exist”.
The Ruyi bridge, located in the Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai, was first revealed in 2017, before opening in 2020.
Initially, the designs were met with scepticism, with the wonky walkways standing 140m above ground seeming unrealistic.
Former astronaut Chris Hadfield said he’d “want better handrails” while others called it “fake” and a product of computer imagery.
However, it has since become a huge tourist attraction with more than 200,000 brave visitors making the walk between the two mountains since it opened.
The bridge design is inspired by a jade ruyi, a curved object used as a symbol of good fortune in China.
It is made with three undulating bridges, with the deck partly made of glass.
Explaining the design, the creators explained: “Intertwined into an undulating bridge body, visitors have a sense of experience when they pass.
“The rigid and soft shape is perfectly integrated with the natural scenery, just like a jade ruyi in the sky, and like a fairy draped silk.”
China is also home to the world’s longest and highest bridge.
The glass-bottomed structure, which is 423 metres long and suspended 305 metres above ground level first opened in 2016.
Tourists can walk across the bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, and the more adventurous will be able to bungee jump or ride a zip line.
A 515 metre glass bottomed bridge opened in Portugal last year too.
The bridge is suspended 175m above ground, with a sheer drop into the river and cliffs below – and is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world.
In 2018, China opened a A$27.19 billion bridge stretching 55 km from Hong Kong to Macau – which is the longest sea-crossing ever built.
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission
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